Questions about curtains

Ianna

I can feel a damp autumn chill in the air today and it's made me think about saving warmth this year in my new home. We've not long moved in and we don't have curtains, just blinds. I really want to get some curtains for the living room to help keep the warmth in but I don't know where to start. Is it worth forking out quite a bit for thick lined curtains? Should I buy the lining seperately and attach it? What materials are best? Where's the best place to buy them? How much should I spend?

I hope these questions don't sound daft. I really don't know what I'm doing here.

Thanks in advance!

Larumbelle

My first step would be to try freecycle, ebay or charity shops for curtains. It is amazing the quality you'll find - people get rid of great quality curtains just because they've changed their colour scheme :rolleyes: I would rather be warm than matching!

Also if you are really concerned about the cold coming in through the windows, 'glaze' them with a layer of bubblewrap. It is astonishing how these help to insulate.

If you are buying, it is best to ask for quotes with and without lining, and get quotes for just lining, sometimes it is cheaper to buy curtains from one place and lining from another. Get quotes everywhere and find the cheapest way of doing it that you'd be happy with. The cheapest I have seen lining online is about £1.60 per meter, but please don't ask me where that was now! People on here have also lined curtains with old blankets and even duvets; some people have just used the blankets and duvets themselves as a curtain. It really depends what you are comfortable with and how cheap you need things to be!

Ianna

Thanks so much for replying! I would never have thought of bubble wrap in a million years. Does anyone know how hard it is to sew in a curtain lining?

McKneff

you dont have to sew in a curtain lining, they come with loops that you hook onto your curtain hooks then hook on to the curtain rail

pigpen

I would keep the blinds up as a first layer then use curtains as a secondary layer. I got some gorgeous cotton velvet ones from ebay.. they were gold.. bright eff-off yellow by my reckoning but they dye beautifully!!

Go begging from older rellies they usually have dozens of pairs of curtains stashed away.. just in case!!

Linings.. flannellette sheets are perfect.. I stiched some to the outer ones just below the header tape. They are dirt cheap and ALWAYS dozens of them in charity shops.. failing that.. an old duvet cover?